Mori hi jōki
by Symphony's Feather
Summary: "The forest seems lethal as she staggers through it." When Hinata is found injured, and Kiba and Shino are missing, it's up to the rest of Naruto and his friends to save the day. Cheesy summary. Pre-Shippuden, and NaruHina. DISCONTINUED.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello, peoples! Third fic uploaded (yay)! I deleted this before posting it again, because I forgot to add author's notes :P Hope you like! **

**("Mori/ hi/ jōki" means "Forest/fire/steam". Doesn't really fit, but . . . :/ )**

* * *

The forest seems lethal as she staggers though it. The moon is out, but the jungle of trees is so thick there are only slivers of silvery brightness peeking through. Patterns of light and dark taunts her, but then her mind is so warped from pain that it might just be her imagination.

She vaguely remembers her teammate's words to her: "Hinata! Go!" A flash of a desperate glance, enemies surrounding her comrades. "Please! _Now! We'll be fine_!" A dog's angry yap; a growl of gritted teeth, a glint of sunset on dark glasses.

She strains to remember more, closes her eyes for a heavenly moment—

New throbbing shocks her into slightly more alert consciousness: she's banged into a tree. She weakly touches her fingers to her head. They come back stained red, and she moans softly. She's too tired to use her Byakugan and too weak to use normal ninjutsu and _oh_, her head pounds and her chest burns and her leg throbs with even fiercer pain.

She wishes Naruto was here, with her. Maybe then she wouldn't feel so alone.

* * *

He huffs irritably. "Nothing happens in these stupid patrols," he mutters under his breath. "I wish Granny Tsunade would let me go on missions again." At the very least she could have let him do this with his friends. Even Kiba's company would've been better than solitude.

But, he thinks to himself, Kiba's on a mission with Hinata and Shino and Sakura's always . . . _training_ with Tsunade. Even lazy Shikamaru is off somewhere with Ino and Chouji. And Sasuke . . .

He blows out a breath. Even with himself Sasuke is a touchy subject. But ever since Tsunade became Hokage, she won't let the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki go look for him, let alone search for leads.

That might be because he keeps pestering her about it, but he refuses to acknowledge that fact.

"Stupid Sasuke," he mutters again. "Stupid training. Stupid, stupid, _stupid_!" His voice has risen from a murmur to a shout.

A jonin—not Kakashi-sensei, though he wishes it were—drops down from a tree near him. The genin jumps back in surprise. The older ninja glances around furtively for any threats, and finding none, puts a silent finger to his lips. "Shhh," he whispers, and then is gone.

Naruto leans back against a tree and pouts. "I can't even be quiet correctly," he complains.

"_Shhh_!" comes the reply from the trees.

Silence.

He kicks at a rock, and—too late—realizes his mistake. He squeaks in pain; his eyes water as he hops around, leg brought up to his chest, and he hisses curses at all rocks—all the while trying to do it quietly.

He hears a sigh above him, and a faint voice: "Why did the Hokage pick _him_ to do patrol?"

Naruto's eyes narrow. "Go away!" he hisses.

A brush of wind, and he's alone.

"Geez. Finally," the genin mutters under his breath.

* * *

An hour later, Uzumaki Naruto snoozes under the shelter of a tree, his backside resting on a carpet of damp leaves. Apparently the jonin's whispered words he took to heart, because even his snores are quiet.

A snapped twig jolts him awake. "Huh? Whuzgoinon?" he mutters sleepily.

He squints in the dark. A figure stumbles towards him, and as he pushes himself to a standing position, he realizes the figure is a person. "Sasuke?" he says wonderingly.

Then he realizes that Sasuke isn't that short . . . and Sasuke doesn't have navy blue hair and white eyes and he doesn't wear a tan sweatshirt.

"Hinata . . ."

But Hinata isn't supposed to be back until next Tuesday, and today is only Friday.

_And Hinata isn't supposed to be by herself._

"Hinata!" he calls. Briefly he wonders if that jonin will come back, but he figures that this is an emergency and emergencies have their exceptions.

As he jogs closer, he realizes she's not walking normally—she's limping, and she winces as she stumbles towards him. Her other hand is feebly pressed to her chest.

"Hinata!" he says. "What's going on?"

Her head doesn't snap up like it usually would at his voice; instead her head moves slowly, like it hurts too much to move. Grimly he realizes his assumption is probably correct. He's heard of too many experiences like that.

"N-Naruto-kun . . ." Her voice is shaky, and her eyelids flutter between consciousness and insentience. But when her bad foot catches on a rock, her eyes snap open and she cries out, nearly tumbling to the ground.

Thankfully, he manages to catch her, hooking his arms under hers. "Whoa, there," he says gently. "You okay, Hinata?"

"N-Naruto . . ." Her voice is right by his ear, her head resting on his shoulder. "Please . . . help me . . ."

"Yeah," he says. "Yeah. Don't worry, I'll get you to Granny Tsunade before you can say 'Ichiraku's!'"

She pulls away slightly, lavender eyes wide. She looks frightened. "No, please! You don't understand!" Her tone is desperate.

"Alright," he replies soothingly. "I'm listening."

She calms down a little. "Please . . . they took Shino and Kiba, and Akamaru . . ."

He tenses. "_What_? What happened?" His voice is incredulous, but he manages to keep it quiet.

"We got ambushed—ninjas, chuunins from the Water Village . . . there were too many, and Kiba . . . Kiba and Akamaru and Sh-Shino were surrounded—but . . ." She takes a shaky breath. "Kiba told me to run, and I hesitated, and—and I did. I ran."

He exhales. "Good thing you got back to the village. Come on. I'll take you to Granny. She'll fix you right up!" He tries to make his voice sound chipper, but dread pools in his stomach.

At the word 'come', she flinches. "Can't—can't walk. I twisted my ankle . . . on a log." It's one of the most coherent sentences she's said so far, but at the words his worry builds.

He concentrates on keeping his voice calm. "That's all right. I'll carry you, Hinata." Slowly he lifts her into his arms.

He notices her breathing is slightly raspy, and frowns. "There something wrong with your chest, Hinata?"

She swallows and winces. "The chuunins tried to choke me before . . . before Kiba told me to run. I'm okay." She smiles weakly.

They—he—walk in silence for a few minutes. "Almost there," he murmurs, partly to himself and partly to her.

There's silence for a long second, and briefly he wonders if she's asleep. Then: "T-that's good," she breathes. She trembles, and he suddenly notices the chilly weather.

He frowns again. "Hinata . . . when you said you ran . . ."

"Yes?"

"How long have you been traveling?"

"Um . . . we started near nine o'clock, and we got a-ambushed about an hour l-later . . . so p-pretty much the whole d-day . . ."

His eyes widen as he looks down at her. "Seriously?"

She nods weakly. "B-believe it," she jokes feebly, and tries to laugh.

He smiles fondly. "Yep." He pauses. "Try to get some rest, alright? We'll be there in about five minutes."

She exhales shakily. "Okay." Her eyes close.

He's hit by a memory all of a sudden:

"_Did—did I change . . . at all?"_

He swallows hard and walks a little faster.

* * *

**A/N: Once again, I forget the disclaimer. Oh, well. I don't own Naruto. Everything goes to all high and mighty (especially Crispin Freeman, LOL. He's the voice of Itachi, I think. Look on YouTube for "Crispin Freeman: he will answer your phone if it goes off during his panel.")**

**Anyways. Chapter two will be up soon, but I'd like feedback before I do that.**

**In the words of .me, Reviews will be lovely, and flames will be used to roast marshmallows. **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hello, again, peoples! Another chapter is up-I hope you like! :D **

* * *

He waits, coincidentally enough, in the waiting room. He's squirmy and fidgety and he vaguely notices how his left leg can't stop bouncing.

It's been about fifteen minutes since he's gotten here at the hospital. Somewhere in between, _Neji_, of all people, arrived, walking in coolly, sitting in a plastic chair across from him, and grunting an "Uzumaki."

Every time he hears a door open, he hopes it's Granny Tsunade. But no, this time it's Tenten, and next Lee, and then Sakura.

Five people, only fifteen chairs.

Another squeak comes from the outside doors, and in walks Kurenai. She glances around the room, then walks over and sits next to Naruto.

"I heard about Hinata," she says quietly. "Is it true about Kiba and Shino?"

He stares at the linoleum. "Yep."

"Are you certain?"

He glances at her. "They weren't with her."

"No Akamaru?"

"No."

The jonin sighs, heavily and sadly. "Well, that dog won't go anywhere without Kiba. I guess I'm not surprised."

Silence blankets the room in anxiety for several long seconds.

"But we're gonna find them—right, guys?" Naruto prompts.

"We _will_ find them!" Lee's enthusiastic voice is confident.

"Definitely," Tenten echoes.

Hinata's cousin doesn't look convinced. "Hn. How are we going to find any leads? What if Hinata can't tell us?"

The weapons master rolls her eyes. "Way to be a downer, Neji."

The Hyuuga's eyes flash angrily. "I am only saying—"

"Let's cross that bridge when we get to it, shall we?" Sakura interrupts.

Even Kurenai manages a smile. "That sounds like an excellent idea, Sakura."

* * *

After what seems like hours later (though Sakura confirms it's only been thirty minutes), finally Tsunade walks in.

Six heads automatically glance up when high heels click on the floor. "I didn't think there'd be so many people here," the fifth Hokage says, her tone only a sliver amused. Her eyes travel around the small crowd and settle on Neji.

"Well?" Naruto demands. "What's up with Hinata?"

Tsunade sighs and frowns. "Be patient, Naruto. It's not good. Her clothes are torn up. She's got a sprained—possibly broken—ankle, various cuts and/or scrapes, some of which are pretty deep, and she needs a small amount of oxygen, though for what reason I'm not sure."

The expressions of all ninja vary: Lee looks horrified, eyes wider than normal and hands covering his mouth (Naruto can guess he'll be saying something about youthfulness and wilting flowers soon); Tenten's face is taut with anger, fists in her lap; Neji is as stoic and silent as ever, eyes closed and arms crossed. Sakura just looks sad, jade eyes staring disappointedly into her lap; Kurenai's expression mirrors the pink-hair kunoichi's.

"Who could have done this to her?" Tenten bursts out. "And _why_?" Lee nods fervently in agreement, dramatic tears preventing his speech.

"Well, I don't think it's from the enemy," Naruto says, his voice low and grim. "She told me she twisted her ankle on a log."

Neji's composed expression twitches the slightest bit. "So not all those injuries were from enemy hands," he surmises, eyes still closed.

"But," the fifth Hokage breaks in, "her chakra levels were also depleted. She might have been followed. She could have been using her Byakugan."

Naruto's eyes close. "She told me she'd been running the whole day," he mutters. His eyes blink open again.

Tsunade sighs, seeming to make a quick decision. "Sakura, I think you'd better come with me."

The medic-nin in training looks up, startled. "But—I mean, milady, I've only been here for two months! I've barely moved past basic injuries! Are you—are you certain this is wise?"

"I wouldn't have asked you if I didn't think so," comes the sannin's blunt reply. "Come." And Sakura follows her out of the waiting room, still stunned.

* * *

An hour later, Naruto is pacing, Kurenai is still sitting dejectedly, Lee and Tenten are having a strange conversation ("I swear, if you don't stop with the flowers and youth, I will hit you with Twin Dragons so hard—!"), and Neji is . . . well, Neji.

An hour and a half later, Naruto is sitting next to Kurenai again, Tenten is still complaining, Lee is still trying to convince Tenten that flowers and youthfulness will never get old, and Neji is still Neji.

Two hours later, they're all sleeping except for Naruto, and Neji is . . . gone.

He's so tired it barely passes his mind. "Probably slipped out while I wasn't looking," he mutters under his breath. "Sly idiot."

Eventually his eyes close all the way, and Uzumaki Naruto is finally asleep.

* * *

". . . _up_, Naruto. Oh, for Konoha's sake, you baka, WAKE UP!" Sakura's exasperated yell in his eardrums wakes him from a peaceful slumber.

"What'd I do?" he mumbles sleepily. "Who died?"

The pink-haired kunoichi growls. "Nobody died, baka. You've been in here for the past five hours. Lady Tsunade wanted me to wake you up."

"Oh." He stirs, groaning slightly when his tired muscles shift. He vaguely notices that nobody is here but him and her. The sun peeks behind a hill: it's just about sunrise.

Memories flash behind his eyes, and he's abruptly awake. "Hinata," he says urgently. "Is she okay?"

"She's alright." Sakura sounds exhausted and not entirely confident. "I've seen worse," she adds, seeing his alarmed expression.

She stumbles suddenly. "Sakura?" he says uneasily.

"So tired," she mumbles, eyes already half-closed. "Used—too much chakra. . ."

She slumps, falling forward as he catches her. "First one, then the other," he murmurs. He sets her gently on a chair and walks off to find Tsunade.

* * *

**A/N: DUH DUH DUH! The suspense rises!**

**In the words of another author on this site (because there's some weird glitch that won't let me type the name :P), reviews will be lovely, and flames will be used to roast marshmallows. (I picked up some virtual graham crackers and chocolate on the way at the virtual grocery store and paid for it with my virtual money. Feel free to make s'mores!)**

**~Feather **


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